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A good entry level/intermediate level recurve riser.

Just before the London Olympics I was fortunate enough to get a place on a beginners archery course at my local club and was hooked from day one. Following three weekend sessions I was keen to move on from the basic club bows used in the lessons and buy my own equipment but as with most specialist sports these days it can be quite costly getting set up with all the necessary kit.

After scouring the internet for reviews which are few and far between I took a trip down to my nearest archery shop and set about trying a selection of risers (the handle part) and limbs (the bendy bits). After spending over 3 hours being assisted by a very helpful member of staff I settled on the Hoyt Horizon riser and some cheap limbs.

The Horizon is available in a selection of gloss finish colours to suit most tastes but I chose the matt black anodised finish which I thought would be a more durable option to the standard paint. I have managed to make a small mark on the bow while resting it on a metal chair but other than that it has stood up very well and still looks like new despite having been well used over the time I've had it.

Weighing in at about 1070grams this is a reasonably light unit meaning when held at arms length it isn't going to strain the shoulder muscles too much over the course of a 12 dozen arrow round. As with all modern risers, the draw weight (power) of the bow can be adjusted using the large bolts at the top and bottom and if required the alignment of the limbs can be corrected. Conveniently the necessary allen keys are included in the box for making both these changes.

All the threaded bolt hole sleeves fitted on the aluminium body are well tapped with good clean threads meaning that as I added more accesories to the bow, I was able to screw them in easily with no fear of cross threading anything.

Also in the box is a soft lined sleeve for storing the riser along with a booklet explaining the adjustments and recommended bracing height.

While not the fanciest looking bow on the shooting line, this has helped me move from complete beginner to shooting some respectable scores. If you're new to archery and looking to keep the initial costs down then the Hoyt Horizon is a great choice at a sensible price.